The original Gotham is a small town in England, a far cry from the large city Batman guards from evildoers. And it's not even pronounced the way we say it. The village of Gotham became the butt of jokes in the 13th century, because the villagers acted like fools. Tom Scott tells us the story behind that reputation, which the modern town fully embraces as part of its history.
The leap Gotham took from a village of fools to Batman's home city is also explained, although it doesn't make as much sense as it should. But it's a good story.
In the British military, a batman is an enlisted man who is a personal servant to an officer. Private Baldrick in Blackadder Goes Forth, is a batman. Which means there could have been a batman from Gotham in WWI.
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